First Fleet artwork collection

Half-length portrait of an Aboriginal man, his torso facing forwards and his head turned in profile to the right against a plain background. His hair is black and jaw-length, and decorated with what appear to be teeth ornaments, and his septum is pierced by a straight nose bone. His skin is dark brown in colour with darker shading, black markings on his upper arms representing cicatrices, and white body paint in lines across his upper arms and shoulders, converging in a medallian-like design in the centre of his chest. He is holding a pale pink and yellow fish in his outstretched left hand, and a four-pronged fishing spear across his chest, pointing to upper right. The bases of both the figure and the fish are underlined in black ink lines. The drawing is annotated in brown ink.

• Port Jackson Painter]
• The drawing is inscribed in blue pencil at top right with the number "70", which refers to the pre-1984 numbering system for the Watling collection.
• The drawing is annotated in brown ink at bottom "A Native of New South Wales ornamented after the manner of the Country".
• The drawing is unsigned and undated.
• The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning.
• By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London).
• Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library order number 12061
• James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
• Data sheet available.
• Wheeler, A. and Smith, B, (eds.) The Art of the First Fleet and other early Australian Drawings. New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1988. (Plate 5, p. 23.)